Improved apparatus for storing petroleum



I'GNACE MATHEI, or

wee-tesame- Keek ANTWERP, BELGIUM.

Letters Patent No. 83,192, dated October 20, 1868.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR 'STORING- PETROLEUM.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent andvmaki'xg part offchesame.

To whom fit 'ma/y conce/rn. p

Be it'known that I, IGNAOE MATHEI, of Antwerp, in the Kingdom ofBelgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatusfor IVarehousing Petroleum, mineral oils, and other liquids; and Ihereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure I is a side elevation, and

Figine 2 a plan view of an apparatus made in aecordance with myinvention.

My invention relates to the method of warehousing petroleum and likeliquids by immersion in water.

lIhe advantages of this method are recognized by all, as the liquidscannot, luider such circumstances, take fire, while the water causes thewood, ofA which the barrels holding the liquid are made, to swell, thus'rendering the barrels tight, and preventing all leakage. There are,however, practical difficulties attending this method of storingliquids,V which ht ve prevented its extended use. i

The manipulation of the barrels, and their arrangement'in proper order,involve much labor, and cannot be effected without great trouble; andthen, again, it is a matter of extreme difficulty to hold them imderwater, owing to the diderence in the specific gravity of the liquids tobe warehoused and the water in which they are immersed, the upwardpressure of a barrel of petroleum thus stored being about forty-fivekilogrammes, and that of a barrel of the lighter products, fty-vekilogrammes.

The object of my invention is to overcome these difculties, to store thebarrels in water, to place them there easily and without shock or jar,to-arrange them in regular order, and to keep them in such condition,and at the same time to take them out, whenever desired, and in suchquantity as required, without trouble or excessive labor.

All these result-s I have attained by the employment ofthehereinafterfdescribed apparatus, which requires the least possible depthof water, and is so constructed as to utilize the difference in thedensity or specific gravity of the water and stored liquids, to effectthe entrance, arrangement, and discharge of the casks or barrels withbut little manipulation.

These and other features of my invention will, however, best beimderstood by reference to the accompanying drawings.

In a basin or reservoir, whose depth and extent may vary according tothe nature ofthe ground where it is located, and the number of barrelsto be warehoused, I arrange two rows of posts, P P, suiiicientlyembedded in the earth, or of a sufiicient weight to be firmly andimmovab'ly held down in place against any upward pressure.

The distance between these rows is such as to per mit the barrels B topass between them, and the space between the posts of each row isgoverned by the resistance to be overcome,- and the nature of thematerials employed.'

At one end is formed a well or passage-way, A, through which the barrelsto be stored are introduced.

Io thesev posts P are attached, by means of Wood or metal cross-ties orbeams, T, thick boards, M, which form a series of consecutive andsuperposed inclined planes, each plane being inclined in -an'oppositedirection from those immediately above and below it. The degree ofinclination of these planes will vary in accordance with the density ofthe liquid to be warehoused, and the distance between them will begoverned, of course, by the size of the barrels.

Side-strips L, of metal or wood, attached to the posts I), prevent thelateral displacement of the barrels.

In order to facilitate the passage of the barrels fromy one inclinedplane to the next, I arrange, at the two ends of the warehouse, halfcircles, of metal 5r wood, in the manner shown in iig. l.

The opening or well A, through which the barrels are introduced, shouldbe provided with a stop, X, for holding the barrels under water.

The opening. A', through which the barrels are discharged or taken out,should be provided with a suitable deviee, X', for holding down thebarrels, and regulating their discharge.

Metal or wooden doors, O, close the entrance and discharge-openings, andare arranged in such manner that by raising or sliding them upwards,they will elongate the well A.

The apparatus is operatedin the following manner:

The two doors O are opened in such manner as to form an elongation ofthe well A, and a small flying bridge may be used to bring the barrelsto this height.

The barrels are placed in the well A, oneafter the other, in such amanner that those underneath will be forced down by the weight of thosenot yet immersed,l until they reach the bottom of the well. There thebarrels will inevitably pass under the lowest inclined plane, and, byreason ofthe difference of density, as

labove explained,they will be held up against the plane,

and rise, following the consecutive planes until they reach thedischarge-opening, where they will be arrested by the device X.

As the dimensions of the apparatus do not admit of the: barrels' passingone another, or deviating to the right or left, they are consequentlyarranged one after the other in order under the planes, until theapparatus has received as many barrels as its capacity admits of. Thosebarrels which still remain in the well A,4 under the water, are helddown in place by the stop X, and after removing the surplus barrels,which have served to furnish the weight necessary to depress the others,the doors or gates O are lowered, and the operation is completed.

The same principle which determines the ascent of the barrels along theinclined planes, will also force them out through the discharge-openingor port A', when the latter' is opened and the stop X is withdrawn.After passing out from this opening, they can of course be easily guidedor directed to any desired point.

The means employed for'maintaining the water in the reservoir at aconstant or fixed level, naturally depends upon the location andsituation ofthe reservoir.

It will be understood that the inclined planes may be made movable oradjustable, so as to have a greater or less inclination, according tocircumstances, and instead ot the posts P, Walls or other suitablesupports for the planes may be substituted.

Having now described my invention, and themanner in which the saine isor may be carried into el'ect, I would state that I do not claim storingbarrels of hydrocarbon-oils underwater, as the same has been patented;nor do I claim a frame for containing the ner herein specified.

In testimony whereof, I have signed lny naine to this specificationbefore two subscribing uitnesses.

. IGNACE MATHEI.

Witnesses:

J. F. REINEMUNT, A. MAcLo'r;

